29th DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival

Today's lineup features:

Wilmington Youth Jazz Band — The Wilmington Youth Jazz Band is a dynamic jazz music education program which is open to young musicians aged 10 and up in Delaware and the surrounding regions. Founded in 2004 by renowned saxophonist Fostina Dixon-Kilgoe, the WYJB has performed at various venues such as: The Kennedy Center on the Millennium Stage in Washington, DC, the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, the Grand Opera House and performed for The Honorable Mayor James Baker of Wilmington, Delaware.

Sumi Toonoka — Sumi Tonooka (pronounced To-NO-ka) has been called a “fierce and fascinating composer and pianist” (Jazz Times), “provocative and compelling” (New York Times), and “continually inventive, original, surprising, and a total delight,” (Cuadranos de Jazz, Madrid). During a career spanning more than 30 years that has taken her from bases in Philadelphia & Boston, to New York & Seattle, Tonooka has been developing a body of work that surprises and delights audiences – quietly piling up accolades from jazz writers and fellow musicians.

Somi — A few years ago, acclaimed East African vocalist & songwriter Somi decided to move from New York City to Lagos, Nigeria for 18 months in search of new inspiration. The result: a new album she calls The Lagos Music Salon released in August 2014 as her major label debut on Sony Music/Okeh - landing at #1 on US Jazz charts. The album, which features special guests Angelique Kidjo, Common and Ambrose Akinmusire, draws it material from the tropical city's boastful cosmopolitanism, urgent inspiration, and giant spirit - straddling the worlds of African jazz, soul, and pop with a newfound ease and a voice that Vogue Magazine simply calls “Superb! Born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, the African and Jazz legacies are always crucial to her sound. Often referred to as a modern-day Miriam Makeba, JazzTimes magazine describes her live performance as “the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves,” while Billboard exclaims that she’s “all elegance and awe…utterly captivating.” Somi and her band continue to perform at international venues and stages around the world. In her heart of hearts, she is an East African Midwestern girl who loves family, poetry, and freedom.

Regina Carter "Simply Ella" – Regina Carter is the foremost jazz violinist of her generation and a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” recipient. Marking the 100th birthday of a musical legend, Regina’s upcoming album and touring program celebrates the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald – the source of Regina’s musical inspiration. An influence she has cherished throughout her life, Regina describes her visceral connection to Ella’s music.